Vellum Battledore Racket
Vellum Battledore Racket
12271
Antique No.5 Vellum Battledore Bat.
The bat with long slender handle covered in fine tooled red leather, the circular head covered in vellum on both sides. The Battledore racket with '5' on the throat. Same of the red leather is missing on one side of the head.
Battledore bats came in different sizes, 1 to 6. 1 to 3 normally reserved for Ping Pong, Gossima, Table Tennis and sizes 4 to 6 for the game of battledore and shuttlecock.
The game of battledore and shuttlecock is the forerunner to Badminton and dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The game could be a solitary game or played with friends. It was essentially a game of keepy-Uppy and was more of a friendly game rather than a competitive game, the idea being to hit the shuttlecock in the air as many times as possible without it falling to the floor and keeping count. The players would coordinate with each other, purposely hitting the shuttlecock to each other, the aim to have as long a rally as possible keeping count of consecutive successful strokes in each rally.
Dimensions:
1850-1899
Circa 1870
Vellum
Good original condition with original vellum. Some of the red leather is missing, and parts have been touched up with paint.
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